Voodoo in Haiti

Voodoo in Haiti is the record of a 50+ year old ethnological survey of practitioners of Voodoo (in Haiti, obviously). It shows its age, but not as badly as I expected it would. Metraux, who conducted the original study--which was the result of many years of living in Haiti and talking to people, as ethnology once was done--shows human compassion in talking about his friends, rather than an obnoxiously removed scientific tone. I was prepared for an absolute racism opera and was pleasantly surprised to see very light racism, for his time period. His studies take him around the island, purposefully to many different sects and social classes, and he is candid when he doesn't have proof of what he's saying. A lengthy introduction sets the show more history of Voodoo in the Haitian Revolution, there is pictures, there are good insights.

That said, how you feel about the book as a scientific study is up to you. Methods and standard have changed since Metraux was desperately badgering his friends to let him witness religious ceremonies. His sources are primary, the record is oral, and there would be no way to duplicate his observations in 2021. All this to say that it FEELS legit but I'm no ethnographer. If you have experience in the Voodoo religion and find errors in his work, speak up! Almost everyone in the pages is dead, it''s your story now. show less

An excellent ethonographic study of voodoo practitioners in Haiti, showing the complexities of their practices and beliefs. If you've read other books about voodoo and found the information confusing, this book will explain why. I found Charteris English translation easy to read.